


When you wish upon a star

by dc4me44



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Enchanted Forest AU, F/F, Fluff, Regina has a tendency to use the peper spray here, Romance, enchanted the movie on reverse, this was totally inspired by 6x10 and enchanted
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-02
Updated: 2017-04-30
Packaged: 2018-09-21 13:28:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9551066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dc4me44/pseuds/dc4me44
Summary: Imagine a story where modern day business woman Regina falls through a portal and ends up in the enchanted forest. There she meets a singing princess and can this realm make up its mind on what Disney story she's part of? You can't just sing "someday my prince will come" and then re-enact the scene from Sleeping Beauty where Aurora meets Prince Philip.Think of this as a 6x10 + Enchanted AU mix.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to @giftofamber for helping me with this story. It would probably not exist if it wasn't for your help.
> 
> Let me know what you think. There's a gifset on tumblr for this story as well @ http://sqgifs.tumblr.com/post/156709656581/when-you-wish-upon-a-star-imagine-a-story-where

To most outsiders, Regina Mills looked like the epitome of success and a woman in control of her life, and she was all of that. She was the sole owner of an international pharmaceutical company; she was a force to be reckoned with. She dated celebrities. She loved her job, she loved what she was doing, and she actually felt she was making a difference in the world. But her professional life left her with little to no time for herself. Long hours at work meant long nights and little to no holidays. It's probably why all her relationship failed, although she's pretty sure her lack of real interest in a relationship was to blame. They just didn't feel right and in the end she told herself she would rather not date than be with someone she didn't actually care for.

 

But this also meant that when she was able to take time off to go on a holiday, she would have to decide whether to go alone or drag her friend Kathryn. Her sister and niece were also an option, and they were eager to join Regina on holidays.

 

Now, she's on a one month getaway to Europe. She went alone this time, her own choice, trying to break away from everyone and everything and hopefully just be. She goes to small towns around the Mediterranean, enjoying the simple things: late night strolls, hanging out in cafes reading a book, lounging on a beach, taking small rides to places of interest.

 

On one such night, she ends up strolling the lit town center of a small Italian city. She stops by a fountain and decides to sit down. Wearing heels was probably not a great idea, even if for a small walk. As she sits there in silence, her thoughts catch up with her. It really hurts to be stuck in a job that allowed very little time to no time at all for romance. After her last relationship ended, she realised that it's going to be a while before she'll have any time to go back in that dating pool. Not that poor Kathryn hasn't tried. Oh she has, but Regina's not interested in any of the dates her friend sets up. There's no spark, no butterflies, and maybe she should let go of that notion; after all, she's not a teenager anymore, but she can't help but think that maybe someday she'll meet the one. She sighs in disappointment. She's starting to sound like one of those cartoons her niece makes her watch whenever Zelena visits.

 

"As if, but I wish I met you, if you are out there somewhere," her smile is somewhat nostalgic as she stands up and takes one last look at the fountain.  

 

All of a sudden, the fountain makes some noise, and the water bursts forth towards Regina. The brunette looks on hopeless and braces for the impact of dirty fountain water to hit her. Seconds pass, and she doesn't feel any splash hitting her. She peers an eye open and looks around. She sees leaves. She opens both eyes and looks around more closely: she's in a forest. Her clothes are also completely dry. She pulls out her phone hoping that the GPS will tell her where she is, even though she has a feeling it won't work. The no signal, emergency calls only displayed on her lock screen confirms her suspicion. She looks around trying to find a landmark, anything really, and then she sees it. A large statue standing tall and proud at a cross road. She approaches the statue and reads ‘ _Here Snow White and her Prince defeated the Evil Queen._ ’

 

Regina starts to laugh.

 

"Fantastic. I'm stuck in Disneyland or something," she's annoyed, very annoyed, but starts to pinch herself to wake up.

 

"Great, who in the blazes thought pinching yourself is a good way to wake up? It's not working and now I'm talking to myself. Great."

 

She makes her way down the road, hoping she'll find a town or something more that will offer her a clue of where she's at. For the brunette, this is all just a dream anyway, so she thinks there's no point in sitting around waiting to wake up. After minutes of walking, she hears it, someone singing somewhere off the beaten path. She gets closer, hoping that the person might be able to help her. As she approaches she hears a female voice sing something that sounds like ‘Someday my prince will come’ and Regina can't help but snort. Great, looks like she found Snow White.

 

Except that when she sees the girl, it's not the black-haired Disney version she sees, but a beautiful blonde with long curly hair. Regina's breath catches in her throat and how cliché is this that she sees a woman sing in the forest and she's instantly captivated by her beauty. Her footsteps carry her towards the blonde woman, and there's an inexplicable magnetic pull between her and the blonde. The noise alerts the woman to Regina's presence. She stops her singing and the picking of flowers and hides behind a tree. Regina has a sudden urge to face palm because could this be more reminiscent of Sleeping Beauty or what, even if the song was from the wrong Disney movie. Maybe she's in a weird Disney fusion universe like Shrek.

 

"I mean you no harm," Regina approaches with caution, and the blonde woman peeks from around a tree. "It seems I got lost in the forest, and I was trying to find a town nearby."

 

The blonde woman narrows her eyes at that. Regina sighs in defeat.  She was telling the truth, but then again if this is a fairytale, then the princess is a damsel in distress. She lets out another long suffering sigh. To her surprise, the woman asks her if she's alone, and Regina gets lost for a few seconds because could the woman's voice be even more perfect.

 

"Yes." It's all Regina's able to say once she regains her composure.

 

The blonde clears her throat and steps from behind the tree.

 

"Ah, well, in this case, allow me to escort you to the nearby town."

 

Regina lets out a small snort at the offer. Wasn't the blonde scared of her just moments ago? The blonde seems to have caught onto that, and her face takes a slightly annoyed look as if she's offended or something.

 

"I will have you know I know how to fight."

 

Regina just lifts an eyebrow in reply.

 

"Whatever, I know the woods really well."

 

"I don't doubt you do, princess."

 

The blonde stops and she puts her right hand inside her cloak.

 

"How do you know I'm a princess?"

 

Regina's has an almost jaw drop moment again because "Seriously?"

 

"Yes, seriously. How did you know I'm a princess?"

 

Crap. Regina asked that out loud. Regina feels like she's really losing the plot here, and she doesn't understand why. She's always calm and collected, yet this dream person is making her all kinds of flustered.

 

 "Well, if you're the princess, I would assume everyone knows," Regina's reply is delivered with a sort of incredulous tone as she tries to appear in control and not as a love-struck teenager. She's far too old for that sort of reaction. This is not Twilight. She refuses to let her dream turn into a Twilight romance.

 

"I wear a glamour, so that people can't tell who I am. I'll ask you again, one last time, how did you know I'm a princess?" The voice is cold, almost deadly; long gone is the sweet princess with blonde curls that sings while she picks flowers. Regina's even more intrigued now by the blonde.

 

"I said it as a joke."

 

"Do you know who I am?" the blonde's voice is deadly, but Regina can't help but feel amused. This dream is getting interesting.

 

"I was debating between Snow White and Princess Aurora from Sleeping Beauty, but I can't help but feel I'm wrong; you must be some new princess from like a modern show."

 

The blonde looks at her, assessing her from top to bottom. She heads towards Regina, basket in hand, and when she's close, she smiles.

 

"I'm neither. Snow White is my mother and Aurora is a family friend. Now do you know who I am?"

 

Regina's eyebrows almost reach her hairline as her jaw drops. This is all messed up, and she's pretty sure not even Tim Burton could come up with something like this. This almost sounds like that stupid show her sister Zelena is watching, with fairytales in the modern world, claiming it's so modern and fresh when it’s the complete opposite.  Ha, as if two white guys would do that story justice.

 

"I have no idea who you are."

 

The blonde looks at her confused.

 

"Really?"

 

"Yes, really."

 

"Oh, ok. I'm Emma. Princess Emma to be more precise."

 

"Nice to meet you, Emma. I'm Regina."

 

"So, where to?"

 

"I don't know. I'm waiting to wake up actually."

 

"Huh?"

 

"Never mind."

 

Emma looks on confused at her companion, such a strange woman, yet so regal, dressed like a prince - her beauty unmatched by anyone Emma's ever seen. She would lie if she said she wasn't attracted to the woman and that she didn't want to spend more time with her. This was the Enchanted Forest after all, yet after all these years she gave up on the hope that she'll ever find the one. Still, here comes this strange brunette, and her world is instantly turned upside down. Yesterday was her birthday, and she made a wish, that she would find her significant other, and now, she meets this woman, and it's like all air left her, and at the same time, all she sees is rainbows and unicorns, and there are butterflies in her stomach every time their eyes meet.

 

"You said something about a town?" Emma's finally able to gather her bearings.

 

"Oh, yes! I hope I can find my way home from there."

 

"Where is home?"

 

"Umm, very far away, you wouldn't know it."

 

"Try me," Emma challenges her.

 

"Fine. New York."

 

Emma thinks about it for a second.

 

"Hmm, you're right; it's not a city I know, although… it might sound strange, but I might have heard of it once upon a dream."

 

"The gleam in my eyes is so familiar a gleam?" Regina almost starts to laugh at the irony.

 

"Now, that you mention it…" Emma has a hand on her chin, and she really turns and looks at the brunette. Regina groans in response.

 

"So, about that village."

 

"Oh yes, let's go," Emma grabs Regina's hand and guides her back to the path in the forest towards the place Regina came from.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Psst: first of all let's all ask Adam, Jane, Brigette and anyone we can for a Swan Queen duet in their musical. 
> 
> And now to the fic: many thanks to giftofamber for helping me with this chapter and story overall. I kinda bounced this chapter off her and made some changes based on her suggestions. Good news is Ch 3 just needs some beta, and ch4 is already 90% written, so this story is coming out faster than my other 2 stories that are WIP. 
> 
> Let me know what you think of this story.

 

 

As they walk through the forest, they keep silent for all of 3 minutes - Regina actually looked at her watch.

 

"What is that?"

 

"What is what?"

 

"That, on your hand. I saw you looking at it before."

 

"Oh, this is a watch. It shows you the time of the day."

 

"As if I can't tell, it's midday," Emma says with a roll of her eyes.

 

"It's actually more accurate than that. Each day is divided into 24 hours, and each hour is divided into 60 minutes. So, technically, you can be very accurate with tasks and meetings and free time."

 

"So, everything you do is governed by that tiny piece on your hand telling you how much time you spend doing stuff?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Sounds stressful."

 

Regina's left speechless for a few moments; the only sound making its way out of her mouth is a tiny squeaky sound of protest.

 

"I suppose, but it's how it works where I'm from."

 

They walk for a bit longer, talking about this and that, simply getting to know one another.  Emma learns more about where Regina is from, and Regina learns that Emma has a son.

 

"So, you have a son then?" Regina asks and tries not to sound surprised at the revelation that Emma is a mother to a young boy. But, of course, Emma, being a Disney princess and all, found her own Prince Charming and has a son. She tries to not feel too sad about it, or jealous of the guy really, because that's irrational at best. She's only met Emma 5 minutes ago.

 

"Yes, his name is Henry. He's 10 years old."

 

"You and your husband must be proud of him."

 

"There's no husband," Emma's quite in a hurry to clarify that matter.

 

"Oh."

 

"Yes, well, I was young and naïve. Suffice to say, it won't happen again, not like that anyway. Unless my true love wants it," Emma looks down for a bit. Regina squeezes her hand as a reassurance.

 

"So, you have a true love." Whatever happiness Regina felt when Emma revealed there was no husband was once again gone in an instant. It somehow felt worse to hear the words ‘true love’.

 

"Yes, I believe I do."

 

"Have you actually met him?"

 

Emma looks for a moment at Regina, then at their locked hands, then back into Regina's eyes. To Emma's surprise, Regina looks quite hurt. In fact, if one were to ask Regina why she felt as if someone stabbed her in the heart, then took her heart out and crushed it, she wouldn't be able to answer without admitting that the thought of Emma with someone hurts her and that's crazy because she just met the blonde.

 

"I would like to think that I've met her, yes," she gives Regina's hand a soft squeeze. The brunette's eyes widen as she looks at the blonde. Emma's smile was somehow brighter than the sun, if that were possible. Regina mentally shakes her head. She's going nuts; this place makes her go all poetic when it comes to the blonde. Maybe, perhaps? This is a dream after all.

 

"Tell me about her."

 

"Not much to say. I'm still trying to get to know her," Emma smiles again, and Regina's both alarmed and soothed at the same time. Talk about 0 to 60. Regina clears her throat, and Emma lets out a chuckle in response.

 

"Won't your parents object that you like a woman?"

 

Emma shrugs her shoulders.

 

"I'm a single mother, a knight and a princess at the same time. In my spare time, I dabble as a bounty hunter. Very little surprises them anymore. It's really not that big of a deal."

 

Regina ponders on things. It's clear Emma's referring to her.

 

"How exactly did you get here, Regina?"

 

"To be fair, I don't know. One minute, I was walking through this foreign city I was visiting, thinking about my life, the next moment I'm stuck in the middle of a forest next to a statue of your parents."

 

Emma turns to look at her and takes her in once again. A dark coat with red edges by the collar, two rows of golden buttons, knee high leather boots and skin tight pants. She would almost say Regina's dressed as a general in a foreign army, or maybe a prince. The discrete makeup and tiny earrings only add to the overall look. She ponders for a second if Regina is royalty. She's almost sure, however, that Regina's not from this realm. Just moments before she met the brunette, she started to feel different: a feeling of warmth and fuzziness swept over her. She didn't plan on singing, but it just happened.

 

"How do you know she's your true love?"

 

Emma takes a few moments to think about it. How does she know? She's only just met Regina, but the moment her guard was down around the brunette, after she assessed she's not a threat, she knew. She knew the woman before her was the one. She couldn't explain it, but she felt it. Her whole being was instantly attracted to the brunette as if a magnet was pulling her closer and closer to her, the feeling of warmth intensifying as she got closer and closer to Regina. She found the brunette intoxicating and wanted to get to know her, to be as close to her as possible. For the first time, ever, she didn't feel alone either. Her heart stopped and then picked up a different beat.

 

Then, there was her wish. Her wish from last night was that she would find her true love, and the first person she happens to see was the brunette. She snuck out of the castle in the dead of night, intent on preparing herself to catch a thief that's been terrorizing the forest and everyone that dared to adventure through it. Instead, she stumbled upon the woman of her dreams.

 

"I just do." Silence settles on them once again. It's not an uncomfortable silence though, yet Emma feels the need to tell Regina the whole story.

 

"Yesterday was my birthday. Once everyone retired to bed, I made a wish on a cupcake I got from the kitchens. I made a wish that I wanted to meet my true love. It just so happened that the first person I met seems to be the one. Crazy right?"

 

"Yes, crazy," Regina agrees with Emma. It is crazy. It's madness, actually. She was thinking just now that she would want to meet the one, and she's whisked away to another realm to meet the blonde. This is perhaps the craziest dream she's ever had, although she has a sinking feeling, this is not a dream, but reality, and somehow Regina crossed realms to meet her one true love.

 

“Happy birthday, though.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

"Do we have much longer to reach the village?"

 

"Not much. Come."

 

Their walk, however, is soon interrupted by an arrow whizzing past their heads.

 

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No beta on this one. I tried to incorporate Regina using the pepper spray but I think the scene turned out really good regardless. Let me know what you think of this chapter and story. Thank you for reading.

"Ladies, this is a robbery. Stand still and hand over your valuables," a male voice booms from its hiding place up in a tree. Probably the person who shot the arrow. Despite the gravity of the situation Regina can't help but make a snarky remark.

 

"Do we sit still or do we hand you our valuables? I can't do both, even if I'm a woman and I'm skilled at multi tasking."

 

Emma's eyes widen at the courage Regina puts on display. Thieves like this one are not to be messed with. But unknowingly, Regina gave her an opening, so she reaches into her cloak and pulls a small dagger she has hidden and throws it an their assailant. The dagger hits him square in the shoulder and he falls to the ground with a thud.

 

"Gotcha." Emma grabs her basket and goes towards the man. He starts to stir so Emma grabs him and punches him in the face. She hears some noises come from behind her. She turns just in time to see Regina step on a thug's foot, then elbow him then turn around and hit him with her bag over the head, rendering him unconscious. Emma now looks around alert, thinking that maybe there's more than one thug.  They wait for a few more seconds and then she sees Regina reach into her bag to pull something that looks like a cylinder.

 

She looks at Regina and nods in acknowledgement.  She heads towards the thug that sits by Regina and drags him next to the other guy by the tree.

 

From her basket she pulls a rope and ties the men to the tree.  She uses the dagger to cut their clothes and strip them of their garments. She uses a small piece of cloth to put pressure to the wound of the archer.

 

"Someone will come pick you up as soon as we make it to the village." She grabs the bow and quiver of arrows and starts to head towards Regina.

 

Regina just stares at Emma's back as the woman makes her way towards the village. Emma was singing to birds less than 15 minutes ago and now she throws a dagger at a bandit and ties him to a tree and her basket of flowers had a rope inside? This is just a next level fairytale. Warrior Princess, her brain supplies, but she's sure that Emma's so much more than Xena ever was. 

 

Emma must have noticed the brunette was rooted in place because she turns to Regina with a look of confusion.

 

"Regina? Are you OK?"

 

"Yes, but, how and...?"

 

Regina's clearly shocked by what Emma did. That or that brutes traumatized the poor brunette. She looked quite confident snarling at the first one and confident in punching the second one so maybe Regina wasn't traumatized by the brutes.

 

"You were singing to birds and picking flowers. You hid from me behind a tree, looking all innocent and as if I frightened you and all this time you had a rope and a dagger hidden on you? And you can actually throw daggers?"

 

Emma feels smug about it. Seems like she made quite the impression on the brunette. 

 

"You're quite the spitfire yourself. Where did you learn that? Are you a captain of the guards or something?"

 

"What? No. I learned that in a self defense class I attended. I'm the owner of Mills pharmaceuticals."

 

"What's that?"

 

"It's a company that produces medicine."

 

"Oh. So you're like a healer or potions master."

 

"A bit of both."

 

They start to walk through the forest again and Emma sees Regina keep a tight grip on the cylinder in her hand.

 

"What's that in your hand?"

 

"It's pepper spray. It throws a potion that stings. You throw it in people's face, to get away from danger and all that."

 

"Oh."

 

A moment of silence after which Emma suggests they walk down the beach instead as there's more of an open space and easier to spot a threat. Regina slightly protests thinking of the men they left tied to a tree, and how a delay would affect them, but Emma easily puts her concern to rest. And so they take a detour through the beach instead and Regina can't help but feel all of this is quite romantic. She ends up putting the pepper spray back in her bag. Emma has a sword out now but she reaches with her left hand for Regina's own hand and once again they walk hand in hand down the beach.

 

\------------

 

They reach the village relatively later than Regina anticipated. Emma made her way to some royal guards and offered directions to the location of the thieves. She sees the guards bow down to the blonde and then leave in the direction of the forest.

 

"Now what?" Emma asks as she comes next to Regina.

 

"I have no idea. I don't know. I have no idea how to get home."

 

Regina looks really sad and perhaps a bit defeated and this breaks Emma's heart. She wants Regina to be happy, not sad. Yet at the same time the idea of Regina leaving makes Emma nauseous. She knows she never wants to part from the brunette. She's waited all her life to find her, now she has and the thought of being separated from the brunette kills her. But she knows she can't lie to the brunette. There might be a way for Regina to get home and Emma's positive she has the way. Travel between realms is not as impossible as some people like to make it. You just have to want to change realms and so far Emma's never wanted to go visit another realm. Reading about them was enough for her. But she might go to Regina's own realm, if the brunette would have her.

 

"I think I might have a way to get you home. I'm not completely sure but it's worth checking it out."

 

Regina turns towards Emma, hope blossoming on her face.

 

"You do?"

 

"Yes. We will need to go to the palace but yes. I might have a way. Never tried it myself though."

 

Regina is overjoyed. She has a way to go home. She's not stuck in this realm, dream world or whatever. But her joy is short lived. Emma looks sad, so, so sad and Regina knows why. She feels it within her own heart, the thought of separation makes her sick to the stomach. She knows what she has to do. After all she has another week left of her holiday.

 

Emma for her part is trying to stop the depressing thoughts from occupying her mind. She will enjoy Regina's presence for as long as the brunette will have her.

 

"Do you want something to eat? We will make our way towards the palace tomorrow."

 

"Sure."

 

Regina wonders if there's a menu laying around, but then she remembers where she's in so she asks Emma for guidance on what to eat.

 

The brunette settles on some spit roast lamb and some red wine, while the blonde has the same meal but with beer.

 

"This is crazy you know?"

 

"What is?"

 

"That I've just met you and yet I feel a connection to you." Emma decides to come clean to Regina. She has but a night and some part of the morning left with the brunette and she plans to make the most of it.

 

"Oh?"

 

"I really believe that you are my one true love. I know, this is crazy and we've just met. I don't even know you that well. I don't know what you like and what you dislike, if you…," here Emma falters, blushing a bit. She remembers what her friend Anna told her, but it's absolutely gross and embarrassing to say that to your crush, especially when you barely know them. Plus, Regina looks so regal she'll definitely take it as an insult. It was a warning Anna gave her, a warning for all of them.

 

"If I pick my nose?" Regina supplies with a smile. If possible Emma's blush intensifies. She looks at the brunette feeling completely confused. After all the brunette knew the exact line.

 

"It's so weird, we always finish each other's…"

 

"Sentences?" Regina supplies her smile becoming bigger and she's somehow so amused by all of this, yet Emma has no idea why the brunette finds all this so funny.

 

"Yeah, that. How do you do that?" Emma is a bit creeped out. Regina knows all the things Anna told her, of her own adventures in love, years ago.

 

"Do what?"

 

"Know what I'm about to say?"

 

"I just do. You're not hard to read."

 

Emma crosses her arms, narrowing her eyes at Regina.

 

"I mean you might be to other people, I don't know, but to me you're not hard to read. Plus this is a realm that's part of the stories in my world, therefore some of the things you say are parts of dialogue in other stories."

 

"Oh" it's all Emma can say.

 

"And I don't pick my nose, I burp."

 

Emma smiles at Regina's admission but then the brunette continues.

 

"Beer gives me a lot of gas and if I drink it, I burp a lot."

 

Emma's smile somehow becomes bigger at that as she finds the brunette completely endearing.

 

"My favourite colour is black but I love purple and blue and I look amazing in red. I love gardening and horseback riding. Baking relaxes me, but I won't shy from cooking extravagant meals if I'm in the mood. My favourite fruit is red apples. My least favourite drink is beer. I have an older sister and she has a 6 year old daughter, whom I love to spoil. My parents are both still alive. My mother loves politics and she's the mayor of the small town I grew up in. My father owns a farm, where he breeds horses. My sister owns a beauty salon. I own my own business, Mills Pharmaceuticals, I produce and sell medicine. I love my job, I love knowing I can help people by offering a good competition and lowering the usual prices of medicine because of my products making this part of healthcare more affordable.  I also like the feeling of control I can exert in a meeting and the respect my position demands. I love that I'm a woman in a man's world and that I'm making a name for myself. I hope that what I do will inspire other girls to go for it. The downside is that my job keeps me very busy and I haven't had a serious relationship in years. I think I just gave up on finding love and having a family of my own, that is until now."

 

Emma didn't think it was possible to fall in love more with Regina, but she was somehow more in love with every passing moment. The brunette simply captivated her in so many ways. Here she was now simply opening herself to Emma, because the blonde complained she didn't know the other woman too well. Emma decides that it's only fair she opens herself to Regina as well.

 

"I love yellow, I hate chimera meat", at that she sees Regina make an face that was a mixture of surprize and disgust at the same time and this makes Emma laugh. "I don't like horseback riding but I do it because I must, I'm really skilled with a sword and with throwing daggers. I'm really bad at archery and I hate standing still for too long. Council meetings are a pain and I fear I'll be a terrible queen one day, unless I find someone who loves being in a meeting exerting control over others," at that she smiles one of her brightest smiles at Regina because could they be even more compatible? "I have a son, whom I love very much, but until today I've given up hope that I'll find my true love. Last night's wish was a last and desperate effort to change that."

 

Regina's hand slides across the table grabbing Emma's, their fingers intertwining.

 

They get interrupted by a barmaid asking if they would like a refill. They both shake their heads and Emma goes to pay for their meals.

 

"We should retire for the night. I have a room booked in at an inn nearby."

 

Regina nods her consent but she doesn't let go of Emma's hand. They walk hand in hand and when they reach the inn Emma makes a move to ask if there are any spare rooms. Regina wanted to protest, but she imagines Emma would not want to share a room so fast, after all, despite the princess being ahead of her time, she doubts she's that ahead.

 

"They do not have any spare rooms."

 

"It's fine. I don't mind sharing a room."

 

"You don't?"

 

"No."

 

"Great. I'll take the floor," Emma's quick to offer. Regina wonders if the beds are small but the blonde continues telling her that she doesn't want to pressure Regina into anything. What's there to pressure her into is what Regina wonders.

 

"I don't mind sharing a bed, Emma."

 

"You don't?"

 

"No."

 

Emma's face breaks into a grin and Regina thinks that the blonde's face looks like she could light the darkest of rooms.

 

\----------------

There's a fireplace in the room and it's all really warm and cosy. Emma goes to a bag she has in the corner of the room and pulls 2 shirts. Lucky she thought about packing extra. She turns to Regina and offers her a shirt.

 

"Sorry, no spare pants."

 

"It's ok." Regina reassures Emma as they both turn their back to one another. Emma's quick to divest herself of her cloak and dress and pull the shirt over her head. She turns to Regina, expecting the woman to be dressed as well, yet the sight she's greeted with makes her heart stop beating. Her underwire is made out of black and red lace and her breasts are covered in a similar material. The sight of Regina's skin brings Emma close to hyperventilation and she tries really, really hard to calm her raging libido. She's not a blushing virgin and so she's extremely aware of all the ways her body comes alive at the sight of Regina's body. She quickly turns around, completely ashamed of the breach to Regina's privacy.

 

Once Regina's dressed she goes towards the bed and sees Emma sit still with her back still turned.

 

"Emma, are you coming to bed? Is this a princess thing I don't know about where you sleep standing?" as far as she can tell the blonde is not a vampire. Is she? The thought fills her with dread for one simple reason: fucking Twilight. Her sister made her watch it and after the first 2 movies she could see why Zelena liked it. She even got into the team Jacob and Edward debate on the internet and she was telling Regina all about it. When 50 Shades came along Regina put her foot down on matters and demanded she be left out of it all. There's only so much she can take. Her thoughts are interrupted by Emma getting in bed next to her, avoiding looking at her.

 

"Emma, does it make you uncomfortable we share a bed?"

 

"No, I mean yes, I mean ugh."

 

What's that supposed to mean? Regina thinks that maybe a bit of teasing will ease up the mood. It could backfire but it's a risk she's willing to make.

 

"I didn't take you for a blushing virgin."

 

Emma groans.

 

"I'm so not a virgin."

 

 _Thank you, Captain Obvious_ it's all Regina can think.

 

"But you are blushing," Regina points out. If possible, Emma's blush becomes a deeper red.

 

"I'm sorry. I turned around and I saw you in your undergarment and yeah. I didn't mean to invade your privacy like that." Emma blurts out and Regina didn't think Emma's face could become redder but it somehow did.

 

Regina's eyebrows lift in surprise. So that was it. She can't help but find the blond incredibly endearing, but at the same time she wants to know. She grabs Emma's chin and gently lifts her head up so their gazes can meet.

 

"And did you like what you saw?" Regina asks in a deep voice and Emma gulps, because yes she loved what she saw and it has her tingling all over.

 

"Yeah" it's all Emma can choke out.

 

"I'm glad."

 

Regina's hand drops from Emma's chin and it sort of dawns on her that they went a bit far and yet they haven't even kissed once. Suddenly she's aware of the heavy atmosphere they created as they hold each other's gaze. Emma's brows furrow for a second as if she's thinking hard about something, but the her features relax and she takes a deep breath.

 

"May I kiss you?" and Regina's sure that if she wasn't sitting in bed right now, her knees would buckle and all Emma did was ask her if she can kiss her. If a simple question can do that Regina wonders how the kiss would feel like. She knows the answer to the question and gives the blonde her consent.

 

The kiss at first is sweet and gentle but there's fireworks behind Regina's closed eyelids. If she were standing she would definitely lift her leg like in a romcom. Although the kiss is at best tentative it is the best kiss Regina's had in her entire life. It's as if her lips were made to fit Emma's and when she feels Emma's tongue demand entrance all coherent thoughts leave her and she lets herself be carried away.

 

They break apart for air, but then seconds later Emma kisses her again as she pushes her down on the bed. They continue kissing for a few good minutes, but nothing more happens. Mostly because Regina doesn't want to turn this into hotel sex or anything like that and she feels she's not doing the relationship any justice if they rush it.

 

They settle into bed, Emma putting her head on Regina's shoulder as the brunette covers them with the blankets.

 

"I don't want you to go," Emma murmurs against her shoulder.

 

"I have to go."

 

"I know."

 

"I don't have to go right away though. I still have some free time left."

 

 Emma's grip tightens on Regina.

 

"You said travel between realms is not that hard. Did you mean it?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Elaborate."

 

Emma gets up to look at Regina.

 

"I meant that there are magic beans. You just throw them down and think of a place you want to go. Then you jump in the portal that they open."

 

"Beans? As in there's more than one?"

 

"Yes. My parents harvest them. They think that maybe one day they'll be needed. They're not hard to grow either. They're like ordinary beans, only magic."

 

Regina lets out a small chuckle at Emma's description.

 

"So this means one could make multiple trips between realms right?"

 

"Yes. That's what it means. Why?"

 

But Regina doesn't have to answer and Emma knows the answer immediately.

 

"I could potentially go back tomorrow, check out of my hotel and extend my visit for a while. Then maybe if you want you can visit as well, alongside Henry, if he wants."

 

"Henry will love it. He always dreams of going places, but my family and I were opposed to realm travel."

 

"All right then it's settled," Regina says with a smile. Emma bends down to kiss her once again.

 

Silence once again envelops them as Emma settles back in her spot on Regina's shoulder as the brunette combs her fingers through long blonde hair.

 

"Regina, what's a hotel?"

 

"It's like an inn, only bigger."

 

Satisfied with the answer Emma closes her eyes and wait for sleep to come and it doesn't take long before both women fall into a deep sleep.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No beta again. Let me know what you think though.

The next day finds the two women at the White Castle. Regina's quite impressed by the built and takes her iPhone out to take a picture. She debated for a while whether it's worth it, then shrugged her shoulders and did it. She's on a holiday after all. Emma's curiosity got the better of her and she slid close to Regina looking at what Regina was doing.

 

"What are you doing?"

 

"Taking pictures."

 

Seeing Emma's confusion, she goes on to explain what a picture is. She then shows the photos to Emma, who is very impressed at what she sees. Regina then starts the camera again and takes a selfie of both of them. Emma sees her face frozen on the screen and tries to not look to alarmed.

 

"Don't worry, Emma. This is just us in that moment. It's better than to sit still for hours to have a portrait done."

 

"But at least I can hang a painting for all to see."

 

Regina lets out a small chuckle as she leans in to kiss Emma.

 

"You can put this on a paper as well and hang it on a wall. Not as artistic as an oil paint, true, but this is the real thing. A moment captured and frozen in time if you will."

 

"Your world is strange."

 

"I know," Regina agrees with her. She has to admit that to an outsider the modern world would look terrifying.

 

As they make it to the palace doors a woman comes to greet them.

 

"Emma, where you've been all this time?"

 

"Just out."

 

"For a whole day? Without a word?"

 

"It's fine. Mom, I'm fine. You've never been too worried before."

 

"You shouldn't have left in the first place. There's simply no time to prepare for the ball."

 

Regina just stares in disbelief. That's Snow White? She looks old. Well, not old, old, but older with grey hair. Of course she would though, Regina mentally kicks herself, after all Snow's a grandmother to a 10-year-old boy, not the child or teen portrayed in Disney adaptations. It was just the shock of seeing a Disney princess look old. She wonders if they all look like that.

 

"Ha, finally, you're shocked by something."

 

Regina picks her jaw off the floor as soon as she hears Emma's voice, and yes maybe her reaction was a bit extreme considering her mouth was open without her even noticing. She turns and makes a point of rolling her eyes at Emma.

 

"What? It's only fair something shocks you."

 

"I was shocked plenty being in the forest and meeting you."

 

"Err, right. Though the shock over the meeting is mutual so that part is sort of null and void."

 

"Null and void. It's either null or it's void. You can't use both, " Regina says as she remembers an old lesson from University.

 

"And who is your companion, Emma?"

 

"Oh yes, where are my manners. Mom this is Regina. Regina this is my mother, Snow White."

 

"And where did you meet one another?" Snow asks with an air of suspicion in her voice.

 

"In the forest, she got lost and she's trying to get back home."

 

"And where is home, Regina?"

 

But Regina doesn't manage to reply as Emma does it for her.

 

"Far away. Really far away."

 

Snow looks at her daughter then at the brunette. A smile makes its way on her lips, but Regina can tell it's a fake one at that.

 

"You should stay for the ball. Maybe if she has a friend accompanying her, Emma will stop throwing fits over her attendance."

 

"Friend, right," Emma sort of mumbles in retaliation. She knows what this ball is for and has no intention to participate in it without Regina by her side.

 

 

 

*

 

*

 

*

 

 

 

Emma drags Regina into the castle and they make their way to a room hidden in one of the towers. That's where Regina sees Emma open a box that has what looks like translucent jelly beans. Emma takes two and gives them to Regina.

 

"Here, these are for you. As I promised. You just throw it thinking of the place you want to go to."

 

Regina's almost having whiplash at Emma's behaviour. She's all of a sudden rushing Regina and the brunette is confused at the change in demeanour.

 

"Emma, what's going on?" She doesn't know the blonde for a long time but she can tell something is wrong.

 

"It's nothing. Just the ball. My parents organized it so that they could find a rich match for me and marry me off. I'm sorry I should have told you."

 

"Marry you off? Why?"

 

"For money."

 

"For real?"

 

"Yes, plus they want someone to rule next to me after they retire and I can't do it alone unless I'm a widower."

 

"Are you serious?"

 

"Yes."

 

"What happened to marrying for true love?"

 

"Not everyone is lucky," Emma looks defeated and about to cry.

 

Regina's even more confused.

 

"But we are true love. I crossed realms to meet you," it does cross the brunette's mind that she's entertaining the idea that Emma's her true love.  After all what else could explain Regina literally being dragged across realms to meet Emma.

 

"Come to the ball tonight. At midnight there is a special dance. One can only dance with their true love if they have one. Hopefully it will be enough to convince the barons to leave me alone."

 

Regina thinks that there's no way to tell when it's midnight here since it was midnight when she left her hotel but almost evening when she met Emma in the forest. She asks Emma to take her to the garden where she looks at the shadow on a makeshift dial and determines it's around 9 am. She puts an alarm for what would be 11 pm Enchanted Forest time. Emma makes Regina wait in the gardens as she runs into the castle. She comes back 10 minutes later holding an invitation.

 

"Here, for you to get into the ball."

 

"Thank you," and with that Regina grabs one bean and throws it into the ground thinking of her hotel room.

 

 

 

*

 

*

 

*

 

 

 

Regina ends up with a thud in the middle of her hotel room. A quick glance at the clock on the wall and she sees it is past midday. She doesn't have long. She takes a quick shower and changes into something light then makes a run for the shops down by the hotel with one thought in mind. She needs a ball gown and shoes. Half way through her shopping spree she realizes that she's sort of Cinderella, going to a ball at the palace to dance with a prince, well dance with her princess in this instance. And what a coincidence that they will have to dance at midnight. All she needs is a fairy godmother to give her a beautiful magic dress and glass slippers. She shakes her head. She needs to make it past midnight, the dance Emma mentioned is at midnight. She'll use the ever trustworthy Visa credit card instead to make sure her dress won't be a rag at midnight. She left out a soft laughter but then stops when she sees people staring.

 

Now that she has the dress and the shoes, not glass ones because that's uncomfortable, she stops for a small coffee and checks her time. She still has a few good hours to spare. She makes a mental list of what she needs. She needs to call into work and let them know her vacation will be extended. She'll send Alana all that she needs and then she'll check out of the hotel. She'll also have to cancel her plane tickets. As she drinks her coffee, she starts to make the required phone calls. Just before the shops close she has one last idea. She should buy a Polaroid. She goes in search of a nearby photography shop and buys one alongside extra paper. She also prints her selfie with Emma and puts it in a photo frame. She's thinking she'll gift that to the blonde.

 

Later on she has dinner and then she spends the rest of the night getting ready. She looks at the dress she's wearing and smiles. It's a blue ball gown and she honestly didn't intend to go with blue but it was the only piece in that shop that actually met her standards.

 

She checks out of her room then makes her way to a very secluded spot of the hotel. She knows she looks ridiculous dragging her suitcases while she wears an expensive dress and six inch heels, but she's a woman on a mission and nothing will stand in her way to make it to Emma.

 

Once she sees she's alone she throws down the bean thinking of the spot in the tower, where the magic beans are located. Thankfully her landing is much more gracious this time as she lands on her feet. She drags her suitcases to a corner, grabs the invitation and makes her way towards the door, only to realize the door is locked.

 

She groans in frustration at the closed door. She can't believe she locked herself in a tower. The highest room in the highest tower and all she needs is a fire breathing dragon to guard the door. She looks out the window and sees how high up she is.

 

"Well, I guess Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your hair is a no go."

 

She opens her iPhone and turns on the flashlight to look around the room. She goes to the wall with the magic beans and as she slides the brick she sees that there's something else there. A key.

 

She grabs the key and runs to the door. To her relief the door unlocks. She hides the key back in its place and puts her iPhone away after checking herself with the camera. She makes her way down the steps following the faint sound of music she can hear.

 

The doors to the ballroom open with a noise and the people nearby look at her with curious looks on her face. A valet stops her demanding to see the invitation, which she happily hands over.

 

"Your name?"

 

"Pardon me?" Regina's too distracted looking for Emma to pay attention to the man.

 

"Your name."

 

"Regina. Regina Mills."

 

"Of?" he's a bit exasperated if not slightly suspicious. Regina thinks things over then she supplies.

 

"Of New York." she turns back from him and that's when she spots Emma at the bottom of the stairs beaming at her. Emma's dressed in a white dress, tight at the top but more free flowing at the bottom. The dress has intricate lace and pearl design sawn into it.

 

Regina's blue gown is most definitely a standout because of the design. Emma waits for her at the bottom of the stairs and as she reaches the bottom Emma grabs her hand.

 

"Thank you for coming."

 

"Thank you for inviting me. I never dreamed I would attend a Disney ball."

 

"A what?"

 

"Never mind."

 

"I love your dress. A lot."

 

Regina smiles in return. As Emma guides her through the crowd she gets a sneak peek of Regina's back. Emma concludes that Regina must have this dress from her own realm.

 

"So do you attend a lot of balls like this?" Emma asks as she guides Regina away from prying eyes to a side table that holds some food.

 

"No. If I'm honest this is the first."

 

"You must have amazing seamstresses in your land. Or a superb fairy godmother since you can wear your dress until midnight."

 

Emma looks really impressed by all of it. This makes Regina chuckle.

 

"No, it's just my trustworthy Visa Credit Card that did this. And no, there's no magic that expires at midnight."

 

A moment passes. Emma outs some food on her plate and starts to eat.

 

"Wait a second, Emma. I thought you don't have clocks."

 

"Not like you we don't. We don't wear them on our wrists and our life is not controlled by the clock like yours is. But we have clocks."

 

"But..."

 

"I was humouring you.  Can't reveal all my lands secrets to you."

 

"Ha, ha."

 

Regina doesn't look amused at all. 

 

"You let me make a sun dial, Emma."

 

"I have to say it was hilarious but also endearing, " a pause, "Do they really say we don't have clocks in your stories?"

 

Regina thinks for a moment and then mentally slaps herself.

 

"No, they say you do, it's just slipped my mind."

 

"It's ok. For what's worth I'm sorry for not telling you. It was just fun to see you try to explain that stuff to me. Plus, your clock looked like nothing I've seen before."

 

Regina looks at Emma with narrowed eyes. Was she serious this time? She determined that she is and goes on to explain.

 

"It's a smart watch. It does a lot more than show you the time."

 

"Like what?"

 

"Umm, like show you the date, count your steps, see your heartbeat, it tells you when you have a meeting coming up and so on."

 

"Now that sounds complicated and we definitely don't have that." Emma beams a smile at the brunette.

 

The object of their discussions strikes midnight and Emma grabs Regina's hand to drag her to the dance floor. Their hands are enveloped in mixture of yellow and red mist, the colours never mixing together but dancing around each other, the particles kept apart yet united as if by a really powerful magnet. When Regina looks around she sees other people are surrounded by a mist of different colours or by strings. Some just have a pattern others something looking like a chain. Emma can feel Regina's question taking place and decides to answer to the brunette.

 

"This is fairy dust. It's sprinkled in the room and it reacts to true loves. At midnight each person who has their true love in this room will glow the same colour or colours as their true love. If your true love is not here, whether they're at home or you haven't met them, you don't glow. This is our colour and its unique to us."

 

Regina looks up at Emma then at their hands then back at Emma.

 

"I've never glowed until tonight. I always wondered what my pattern will be."

 

Regina doesn't really think about her next step as she leans in and kisses Emma in front of all the guests.

 

 

 

*

 

*

 

*

 

 

 

As they break apart from the kiss, Emma beams at her. She's so happy. The blonde glances around catching her mother's eyes. Her mother looks at her and she looks happy. Her father looks confused, but in the end smiles at Emma. After the dance is over the two pairs meet at the edge of the room.

 

"So it seems you are indeed my daughter's true love," Snow says it while looking at Regina then she turns towards Emma. "You have to tell Henry, Emma. You can't keep him in the dark on this matter any longer." she then grabs both Regina and Emma's hands in her own. "We need to announce it to the kingdom, then begin wedding preparations."

 

Regina's eyes bulge. A wedding? Emma must have somehow sensed her lover's discomfort and turns to her mother.

 

"Mom, Regina's not from this realm. She must have different customs."

 

"Wait, what?" it's David's turn to ask.

 

"Regina's not from here. Like enchanted forest here. She needs a magic bean to get home and back here."

 

"Really?"

 

Through all of this Regina is silent. It's not that she doesn't like the idea of spending her life with Emma, but everything here is moving so fast that it makes her head spin. Plus they're right, she hasn't even met Emma's son. What if he doesn't like her? She's not the type to drive a wedge between mother and son.

 

"May we retire for the night?" Emma asks her parents knowing Regina needs some time to process everything.

 

"Yes,  you may."

 

"Come" Emma's voice is soft as she leads Regina out of the ballroom.

 

She asks one of her attendees to prepare a room for Regina and some clothes.

 

"I have my own clothes. I left them in the room."

 

"Which room?"

 

"The room."

 

And then Emma knows.

 

"All right, I'll help you grab them"

 

 

*

 

*

 

*

 

 

A few minutes later they make their way down the stairs, Emma helping Regina carry the suitcases.

 

"What do you have in here? A palace?" Emma says as she tries her hardest to carry the suitcase down the stairs.

 

"Just clothes. And shoes."

 

"Doesn't feel like just clothes and shoes," Emma says with a grunt as they finally reach the bottom of the stairs.

 

"Mom?"

 

Both women turn to the sound of the voice to see a child look up at them.

 

"Henry," the single name leaving Emma's lips confirms Regina's suspicions. She just met Emma's son.

 

**TBC**


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the long long wait. I'm currently writing new chapters for the other 2 stories. Luckily this one was already written, I just forgot to post it. I apologize for the long wait. My life's been so hectic and then there's zimbio and voting and OUAT being so ugh I kinda lost the inspiration and will to write for a while. Let me know what you think of this chapter. By the way if you haven't voted already please go and vote in the poll for SwanQueen :)

Regina's totally unprepared to meet Emma's son. She knows from seeing her niece that kids have an aversion to whoever their parents date. She just hopes this is not the case when it came to Henry. She has experience with children so it shouldn't be too hard right?

 

Regina soon realizes that this is not her usual child that would just be happy to play a Disney game or watch a kids movie, but maybe, hopefully, she and Henry will somehow bond.

 

"Henry, why are you out of bed at this hour?"

 

Henry just shrugs his shoulders and looks at Regina with a critical eye. Although small, he knew his grandparents were trying to find a husband for Emma, so he was confused when he saw her with a woman.

 

"Oh, where are my manners. Henry, this is Regina. Regina, this is my son Henry."

 

Regina let's out a kind smile and extends her hand.

 

"Nice to meet you, Henry."

 

Henry is puzzled. No your highness, no bowing.

 

"Hi," is all he says as he extends his hand and Regina shakes it.

 

"Henry, what are you doing out of bed?"

 

"I wanted to see you," he says as he wraps his arms around the blonde's middle. Emma bends down to kiss the top of her head.  She didn't know it was possible, but Regina's smile became even bigger at the display of affection between mother and son.

 

"Do you want to stay in my room?"

 

Henry only nods his head in reply.  Emma kisses the top of his head again.

 

"Alright, but first we must take Regina to her room. She's visiting from far away."

 

"Where?"

 

Emma and Regina look at one another as if questioning if they should reveal the truth. Emma decides to come clean to her son. He hates it when people keep things from him.

 

"Regina's from another realm, Henry."

 

He suddenly turns around mouth hanging open and his eyes filled with excitement. Emma wasn't kidding when she said Henry always wanted to travel to other realms. His reaction was that of a kid in a candy store.

 

"Really?"

 

"Yes, really. She's going to stay with us for a while."

 

"Oh," he looks a bit disappointed but Emma continues.

 

"She also said we could visit her realm and she has tons of cool stuff she can show you."

 

"Really?"

 

"Yes, really. But it's late, and she's tired and so am I. Not to mention, you should be sleeping. So how about we talk about all of this tomorrow, once everyone is rested?"

 

"Ok."

 

Emma starts to lift the suitcase but Regina stops her.

 

"Emma, wait, let me help you," she goes to the suitcase and extends the handle then shows Emma she can drag it across the floor.

 

"Wow," both royals let the exclamation out at the same time.

 

 

 

 

*

 

 

*

 

 

*

 

 

 

 

Everything else goes without a hitch. Henry's already far too fascinated by the suitcase and insists that he drags one of them. Regina gives him the smaller one and Henry just loves playing with it. Once they reach Regina's room Henry's far too excited to leave right away, but to Emma's surprise Regina's nothing but amazing with the boy. It also looked like Henry took an instant like to the brunette. Emma thought that maybe in a different life time the two were mother and son.

 

When morning comes along, Regina demands to know here the shower is, Emma simply giving her a puzzling look. To Regina's shock they also had pot chambers, and her expression must have been quite a bad one at the news because Emma ended up apologizing. They lived in a palace but it seemed it was sub-par with what Regina was used too, given her expression. Regina felt sorry for making Emma feel bad. It wasn't their fault the enchanted forest was still stuck in the middle ages.

 

Breakfast went great though, even though Snow, David and Henry asked Regina a lot of questions about her realm.

 

Regina noticed that Snow kept staring at her hands, and she couldn't help but feel self-conscious about the whole thing.

 

"Regina, if you don't mind me asking, how did you do your nails? Emma tells me you don't have fairy magic,  and to be fair it looks better than what fairy magic does."

 

"Oh, I had them done at the hotel's spa facility."

 

"What's that?"

 

"It's a place where you can get your nails done, you can get a massage, you can have your eyebrows fixed and so on."

 

"Wow."

 

"It's just that they look so perfect."

 

"Thank you."

 

 

 

*

 

 

*

 

 

*

 

 

 

After breakfast, Snow practically kidnapped Regina and demanded she was shown all that Regina had in terms of beauty products. They felt so much better than anything Snow had. The older woman was fascinated.

 

Sometime later, after making sure that Snow had plenty of information from Regina, Emma made her presence known and invited Regina through a stroll in the gardens.

 

"Seems like my mother likes you."

 

"Oh."

 

"Henry seems to be fascinated by you as well."

 

"I'm glad. He seems to be a good kid."

 

"Trust me, he's a trouble maker and so far hated everyone who looked like a potential suitor."

 

"Maybe it's because he doesn't know what we are to each other, Emma. Have you told him?"

 

"No, but I plan too."

 

They sit in silence for a few moments and then Emma decides to lean her head on Regina's shoulder.

 

"Thank you for coming back."

 

"Of course," Regina says as she leans in to kiss Emma.

 

"Mom?"

 

They get interrupted once again by Henry and this time he's seen them kiss. In Regina's opinion this could have gone better. A lot better than being caught kissing when Emma didn't even come clean to Henry about the full extent of their relationship. Regina startles herself thinking that Emma and herself have a relationship, given they know one another for less than 72 hours.

 

"Henry."

 

The boy narrows his eyes.

 

"Why did you lie to me and told me Regina's from another realm? You could have just told me the truth."

 

"But I did. Regina is from another realm."

 

"Prove it."

 

"Henry, you've already seen all the stuff Regina has, stuff that we've never seen before."

 

"You could have made those up with magic, to make me like Regina," then turning to Regina "I really liked you."

 

Liked. Past tense. That hurt.

 

"Henry, that's enough. If I'm telling you I didn't lie to you, I didn't."

 

"I want to go to her realm to see it's real."

 

In an instant Emma knows what this was all about. Henry always wanted to realm travel and found the perfect way to guilt trip his mother to do it. She couldn't help but to feel proud of how smart her boy was. He could fool strangers in an instant, but not his mother. She turns to Regina.

 

"He won't drop it until we visit New York."

 

"You want to go now?"

 

"If it's all right with you, then yes."

 

"It's fine by me, Emma."

 

They could see Henry fist pump from a distance.

 

"I saw that, Henry," Emma said as Regina let out a chuckle as Henry looked sheepish.

 

 

 

 

*

 

 

*

 

 

*

 

 

 

 

Emma goes to talk to her parents to tell them of the recent change in plans. Regina decides to leave her bags at the palace, it's not like she needs them since she plans to go to her house.  They grab a few beans and throw one down, Regina thinking of her sky rise ppenthouse apartment.

 

The three land with a thud in what's Regina's living room. Emma and Henry look around the room fascinated. The room they're in is decorated in a way they've never seen before. They both stare, mouths hanging open.

 

As soon as they reach they hear a noise that similar to a chime.

 

"What's that?"

 

"Just my phone," she holds it up.

 

"Oh it's the one that had the moment frozen in time."

 

"Yes."

 

"Why did it make noise?" Henry asks looking curious.

 

"Because I have messages from people that want to tell me things. Here," she holds an open message for Henry to read.

 

Henry looks at the phone as Regina hands it to him. He hands it back to Regina after that and runs to the windows. Regina's home is surrounded by mostly windows so she can get a 360 view of the city.

 

"Wow" it's all he says as he looks how high up he is and how tall other buildings are.

 

"Mom, mom, come see!" he waves at Emma and as she approaches the window she is scared. They're so high up, like on top of a mountain.

 

"Henry, don't touch that you might fall."

 

Regina puts a comforting hand on her shoulder.

 

"It's fine,  Emma, he won't fall."

 

Henry starts to walk around the apartment looking at various things but mostly keeping his eyes on the windows.

 

Regina walks to Emma and grabs her hand.

 

"I'm sorry if this is too much."

 

"It's different. So different."

 

"Do you want something to drink?"

 

"Umm," Emma's unsure of what she can drink.

 

"I have beer, wine,  orange juice, coconut water, water, tea, coffee."

 

"Orange juice?"

 

"All right," she turns towards Henry. "Henry, do you want some orange juice?"

 

"Yes," the boy replies without turning away from the view.

 

Regina heads into the kitchen to grab some oranges, she still had in the fridge and goes to make some freshly squeezed juice.

 

Henry comes to sit next to Emma.

 

"Mom?"

 

"Yes?"

 

"Her house is really nice."

 

"I know."

 

"Are you scared?"

 

"Not really, why would you think that?"

 

"You just have your weird face on."

 

"I don't have a weird face," Emma's more than scandalized at that insinuation. Besides what doesn’t Henry actually mean by scared face.

 

"Yes, you do. What are you thinking?"

 

"That her home smells really nice, and we don't."

 

Henry crinkles his nose at that and lifts his arm to smell himself.

 

"Henry, stop that," Emma tries in vain to stop him. Just then Regina turns around and sees the exchange. She brings 3 glasses filled with orange juice to the nearby coffee table.

 

"Is everything all right?" she puts the glasses down and gestures towards the sofa for Emma and Henry to sit. It's a white sofa and Emma feels even more self-conscious about sitting down on it. Henry rolls his eyes and goes to sit next to Regina, after he grabs a glass.

 

"Mom thinks your house smells good and that the 2 of us stink in comparison."

 

"Henry!" Emma's cry is equal parts embarrassed and equal parts shocked. Her face is incredibly red and in that moment wants the earth to open and swallow her because she doesn't think she can recover from that embarrassing moment.

 

Regina let's out a soft laugh at that.

 

"It's all right, Emma. Come join us on the couch."

 

Emma reluctantly makes her way to the couch and sits next to Regina. The brunette finds herself smiling as she's once again squashed between the two royals. This is becoming a common occurrence and she doesn't mind it at all. She wouldn't mind if these two became her family, and it's a bit of jumping the horse, but Show White already suggested a wedding.

 

"Regina," Henry interrupts her thoughts, "can we explore your city?"

 

"Kid, I don't think we are dressed properly."

 

Emma wasn't kidding when she said that Henry wanted to explore.

 

"We can. We can go shopping so you two have clothes here, and we can then explore the city as much as we can. In the meantime, Emma, you can borrow some of my clothes. Henry will be fine like this for a bit."

 

"Yes." Henry fist pumps in victory. Then he looks at Regina with a serious expression. "I need to use a chamber pot."

 

"Here we call it a toilet. Come, I'll show you. Emma come along, I'll show you how a toilet works as well." And so the next few minutes finds Regina explains the two how a toilet works as well as the purpose of the items in the bathroom and how to use them.

 

As they exit the bathroom Regina sees that the blonde is really quiet.

 

"Emma, darling, are you ok?"

 

"There's so much stuff that's different. I don't know."

 

"Emma, if you don't want to explore the city, we can do it another time, once you're more used to this realm."

 

"Henry's really keen to explore and I don't want to disappoint him. I've never allowed him to travel to other realms and now that we are here it would crush him to not go out."

 

"Emma, I'll be by your side this whole time. You have nothing to be scared of all right?"

 

Emma nods her head in acknowledgement as Regina leans in to give her a kiss.

 

"Do you think you could help me smell just as nice?"

 

"This is really bothering you isn't it?" Regina asks while caressing Emma's face. Emma only nods in reply.

 

"All right. I'll show you what to do."

 

 

 

 

*

 

 

*

 

 

*

 

 

 

 

Regina knows that she'll have to keep Henry distracted while Emma showers. She once again shows Emma how to shower, what products to use and Emma listens carefully to everything Regina tells her. Regina also leaves for her some clothes to change into. She then goes to Henry and starts to show him around the house. He asks all sort of questions, but he's a smart boy so he picks it up instantly. Finally Regina shows him the TV and he's instantly captivated by it. Regina expected him to look behind the Tv to see where the people are locked, but Henry's too smart for that.

 

"You're looking at me weird"

 

"I am?" Regina is confused.

 

"Yes. You get the same look as mom when she looks at me weird."

 

"I'm surprised you're not wondering where the people are locked."

 

"What?"

 

"In the TV"

 

"Are there people locked in there?"

 

Regina's eyes become big. Is this another sun dial moment for her?

 

"No, sorry. I'm just shocked you're not that phased by the TV."

 

"It acts like a magic mirror that shows you stuff. Can you talk to it?"

 

"Kind off."

 

"Show me" and so Regina goes on to show Henry the voice commands she can put into Amazon Echo and Google Home. The boy picks them up instantly and is delighted at all of this. Regina then just jokingly shows him the joy of asking Siri questions and by the time Emma makes it out of the bathroom she hears Henry laugh and looks like he has a great time.

 

Emma makes her way to Regina's sitting room, and when she sees the blonde dressed in modern clothes, Regina forgets to breathe. Emma's also captivated by the sight of her son getting along so well with Regina and having a great time.

 

 

 

 

*

 

 

*

 

 

*

 

 

 

"Mom, mom, listen to this." He grabs Regina phone and activates Siri "Mirror, Mirror on the wall who's the fairest of them all."

 

Emma starts to snort but then stops, and her eyes become big as soon as Siri replies with _"Snow White? Is that you?"_.

 

Henry burst out laughing thinking this whole thing is funny. Emma meanwhile doesn't think it's funny at all.

 

"Henry, put that thing down. Regina, do you realize how dangerous it is to talk to the Mirror?"

 

"Emma, relax, this is not the Mirror you learned to fear. It's just a personal assistant that has been created by other people to give certain replies."

 

"Yeah, Mom, relax. Look at this.  Alexa, play some music," soft music starts to play in the background. Emma is left speechless, while Regina simply beams at Henry. He's such a bright boy and picked up on all of this so fast.

 

 

 

They spend another half an hour or so where Henry demands he learn more. He seems to take great joy from asking Siri to tell him jokes. Emma for her part is still a bit apprehensive if not frightened, but she takes great comfort in the fact that her son enjoys himself so much.

 

Regina then takes them out and they start walking down the street, Henry between them holding their hands. He feels that he's old enough to not hold his mother's hand but it does make Emma feel better about it all so he drops the argument really fast. He does however change his place really fast and goes to only hold Regina's hand, allowing his mom and the brunette to hold hands. They explore the city

 

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I started this story I wanted to make sure it's finished before I publish it, because I have 3 other WIP. Sadly I didn't do that so now the delay between chapters is really big. I'm sorry for the long wait. Please let me know what you think. No beta so all mistakes are mine.

The day out exploring New York went like a breeze for them.

 

First on their to do list was buying some modern clothes for the two royals. The brunette enjoyed buying clothes for both of them. With both royals appropriately dressed, Regina took them to explore the city. Regina had them try everything from hot dogs to pizza and from coke to hot chocolate. Both Emma and Henry marvelled at the size of the buildings and the size of the stores, the amount of people on the streets.

 

It was clear that they were equally fascinated and terrified of the modern world, but they tried not to show it too much. Henry was absolutely ecstatic and all he needed was a simple nod from Regina that it's safe for him to go explore, look at stuff or touch things.  Emma was clearly more apprehensive and Regina made sure to not let go of Emma's hand. Regina was able to tell when Emma was terrified, as her had would squeeze the brunette's so hard it would cut off any blood supply for a few seconds. But Emma did manage to relax in the end and actually started to enjoy herself. The fact that it mostly happened over food was a pleasant surprize for Regina. Henry, conspiratorially whispered, his mom was the type that would eat anything, as food was one of Emma's pleasures in life. Emma mock glared at him, and tried to kick Henry under the table only to accidentally hit Regina.  She was thoroughly embarrassed by the accident, but Regina assured her it was fine.

 

At one stage they ended up at a toy store and Henry all but marvelled at the lightsabre, Regina promising him they'll watch the movie together. She ended up buying him the lightsabre alongside some meccano sets, since Henry looked absolutely fascinated at the prospect of building stuff. After she paid for stuff the toys saw Emma look at her in a really curious way.

 

"What?"

 

"It's just, I'm amazed at how money look in your world. Is that your trusted Visa?"

 

"Ahh you remembered that? And yes this is my trusted Visa Credit Card."

 

"So you don't have coins."

 

"We do have coins, but most people don't carry cash, that is coins and paper money around. Most prefer to carry this plastic card, since it can hold a lot more money and doesn't take up a lot of space. It's convenient really. Not to mention that you don't have to count. I can also use my phone to pay in certain places."

 

"Wow. Your world is just so wow."

 

As they go out of the toy store they see Henry stop at a display with a PlayStation. He sees a few kids play a game where they hack monsters and Henry looks on fascinated. As the kids leave, Henry approaches the game and tries to press buttons. He gets the hang of things in no time and starts to play it. Emma and Regina look at one another and smile. A store clerk approaches them.

 

"That game's been a hit with kids lately. I bought it for my cousin's birthday. We just got it in store."

 

While Regina feels inclined to buy Henry the PlayStation, she's well aware video games can be addictive and the boy doesn't have the necessary facilities to play them in his own home. She might buy it for him later on, with Emma's approval of course, once the blonde gets a hang of things. The thought that she plans to be a part of Emma and Henry's life crosses her mind, but she doesn't have time to dwell too much on those thoughts. She wants a family with Emma and Henry, and maybe it's too early, she's only known Emma for a few days, but they always say you know when you meet the one. There's no doubt in Regina's mind that she's met the one.

 

Before they even know it, it's dinner time so Regina decides to take them to a fancy restaurant. Not that Henry and Emma are not usually served fancy food, but she wants to let them experience this part of her world as well. The food is great and so is the atmosphere, but Regina finds herself regretting the choice anyway because that campy, home feeling is gone. The conversation is light, however given the setting it was instantly obvious to the brunette that the two royals simply slipped into their roles. She makes a mental note that as long as they visit here, unless requested otherwise, she'll just take them to less fancy restaurants.  Emma appreciated the tasty food, but she was nowhere near the level of enjoyment in eating it as she was when she had taken them to eat the greasy, fatty but delicious food New York had to offer.

 

By the time dinner is over, Henry looks really tired and so they decide to make their way back to the apartment for the last time that day. They put Henry to bed, and he decides to keep the curtains open so he can see the city at night time from his bed. After he's all tucked in, Emma and Regina make their way to the lounge, and Regina offers her a drink. They end up on the couch, each with a glass of red wine.

 

"Thank you, Regina."

 

"You're welcome. Are you tired?"

 

"A little bit."

 

"Do you want to go to bed?"

 

"Not yet. I've barely been alone with you today and if I'm honest I've been dying to kiss you."

 

Emma puts her wine glass on the coffee table and Regina does the same, anticipating what's about to happen in the next few seconds.

 

 

 

*

 

 

*

 

 

*

 

 

Regina is an early riser, alarm clock or not she always wakes up around 6am. Today is no exception, except that this time she lingers in bed, staring at Emma and replying the night’s events over and over again. Their relationship grew so fast, almost a 0 to 60 in no time. She has no regrets; she wouldn't want it any other way. As she looks at the blonde's sleeping form, she thinks about how her life changed for the better. She's no longer alone, not that being alone was a bad thing, it wasn't. Better alone than be in a disastrous relationship, where she loses herself.

 

But right now, she has the unimaginable. She has a fairytale story, one that many, many children dream about. She's ready to admit it's an unconventional fairytale, _"no scratch that, a moderns 2017 fairytale, one of a kind, unique, refreshing."_ A princess falling in love with a woman, a princess that already has a son and so the two of them raising a child together. Growing up she never thought she'll find it. Regina was really picky, and given the fact that she liked women she found it incredibly hard to date. The dating pool was already small, and her picky nature made it even smaller, in fact she had to travel across realms to meet someone who would rise up to her standards. Maybe it was a bit too early to think like this about Emma, after all she didn't know much about the blonde princess, but she felt like she's know her since forever. Maybe in a past life they were lovers, or maybe they are lovers now, in an alternate universe. It's a possibility, after all Snow White is real.

 

If this is a dream she doesn't want to wake up, she doesn't want it to ever end. But it's not a dream, it feels too real, although dreams usually feel real, but no, this is not a dream, this is reality.

 

Her thoughts are interrupted by Emma waking up, a small moan leaving the blonde's mouth before she even opens her eyes. But when their eyes meet, Emma can't help the grin that makes its way to her face.

 

"Good morning, my queen," Emma says before she leans in for a small kiss on Regina's lips. Oh how she missed kissing them. It's only been a few hours, but that was a few hours too long.

 

"Your queen?"

 

"Yes, my queen. You are the queen of my heart."

 

"Hmmm, aren't you quite the princess Charming?"

 

"Runs in the family."

 

Regina only hums in reply as she goes to capture Emma's lips in another kiss.

 

 

 

*

 

 

*

 

 

*

 

 

 

"So wait, my mom is a story in your world, one that people think someone made it up?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Wow. So mom is a legend. Am I a story in your world?"

 

"Sadly, no. You are far too _'ahead of the times'_ to be a story in my world."

 

"Why?"

 

"A princess who likes women? Yeah, no. Same-sex relationships barely became legal a few decades ago."

 

"Oh."

 

"So you mean to say that this is normal in your world?"

 

"No, I mean yes, I mean kind off. If one has a true love it's usually acceptable, but it's rare, kind off, and princesses marry princes so there can be heirs. Unless both people have magic, in which case they can make a magic baby, so yeah. But that's rare. Like super rare. It's more hypothetical than actual reality. It's more of a _'you could but we doubt you can so don't do it'_ kind of attitude."

 

"Oh."

 

"But I have Henry, so it's ok, no one will moan too much, or at all."

 

"Sounds backwards."

 

"Eh, it's what it is. Anyway is there a way I could see how mom's story is in your world?"

 

"Even better, you can watch it."

 

 

 

*

 

 

*

 

 

*

 

 

Regina prepares some snacks and drinks for their movie time. She shows Emma the whole collection of Disney movies before actually playing "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." By the end of the movie Emma and Henry have tears in their eyes at how ridiculous the story is. Regina watches them with a smile on her face.

 

"So? What did you think?"

 

"Ridiculous. I mean, sure, my mom speaks with animals, but she's not that dumb. She knows how to fight. She led armies."

 

"And what of the Evil Queen, was she real?"

 

"Oh yeah, she was a real piece of work. Bathed in some milky white substance, draining people of their youth so she could maintain hers. According to my mother she was super obsessed with being youthful."

 

"And she wanted your mother's beauty? Was she jealous of your mother's beauty?"

 

"Nah, my mother stumbled upon her secret so she wanted her out of the picture so she won't spill."

 

"Ah." To Regina it sounded more like the Evil Queen was someone more like the one in that Kristen Stewart movie, rather than the TV show her sister was watching, where the Evil Queen had a really tragic back story.

 

"But, not to worry, she's locked up."

 

Regina smiles in return to Emma. Last thing they need is to have some villain after them. Life in general is hard enough, she doesn't need fairytale villains to make it harder.

 


End file.
